Campus clips: DCEs, counselors and pharmacists

(Concordia University Wisconsin)

The monthly “Campus Clips” column includes brief reports from LCMS day schools, universities and seminaries.

Superior pass rate

The 2023 School of Pharmacy graduates at Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW), Mequon, Wis., ranked second among all pharmacy school graduates in the region and 11th nationwide for their first-time pass rates on the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX). The NAPLEX is a key measurement used by boards of pharmacy to assess a candidate’s competence to practice as a pharmacist. CUW’s 2023 graduates earned a first-time pass rate of 91.7%, which also far outpaces any other Christian pharmacy school in the nation.

Outstanding DCE

Concordia University, St. Paul, St. Paul, Minn., alumna Madison Patrow (’22) was recently named Outstanding New Director of Christian Education (DCE) by the National Association of Directors of Christian Education (NADCE). Patrow, who received the award at the recent NADCE conference in Houston in February, serves at Messiah Lutheran Church in Lakeville, Minn.

Christian counselors needed

Concordia University, Nebraska (CUNE), Seward, Neb., recently announced the launch of two new graduate degrees: a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy and a Master of Science in Family Life Education. Available in Fall 2024, both programs emphasize a Christian worldview not often found in the typical curriculum of secular counseling programs.

The Marriage and Family Therapy degree will prepare students for therapy licensure and help them pursue a career that transforms marriages, families and communities by emphasizing Scripture-based views of modern psychology. The Family Life Education degree is intended to help participants guide congregations through faith-focused counseling approaches designed especially for the church environment.

Staying cool

This spring, Concordia University Chicago (CUC), River Forest, Ill., will step into the 21st century as a new electric air-conditioning plant is installed. The university’s current system comprises two natural gas water chillers dating back to 1964 and 1989.

In partnership with the engineering firm Martin Peterson Company of Kenosha, Wis., CUC conducted a thorough study of the campus’s needs and goals. This led to the determination that the new plant should be electrically driven and compressor based. Converting the power source from natural gas to electricity will reduce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas-based emissions. Specifically, the installation of the new system, which is currently underway, will lead to an annual reduction of 44,000 MMBtu in natural gas consumption. The new system will be tested in April and is expected to begin cooling the campus in May.

Studying the parables

Concordia University Irvine (CUI), Irvine, Calif., hosted its annual Trembath Lecture in January, featuring the Rev. Dr. Michael Eschelbach. His presentation, “The Parabolic Universe: Learning from Jesus How to Interpret His Material Creation,” was the culmination of his sabbatical research exploring the principle of parables, interpretive lessons and possibilities for application. CUI gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Harry and Caroline Trembath Endowment for the Professorship in Confessional Theology, which has enabled senior theology professors to have time for more in-depth research, study and writing.

Basketball at the seminary

On Jan. 25, grade-school basketball teams from Our Savior Lutheran School, Fenton, Mo., and St. Paul Lutheran School, Hamel, Ill., were welcomed to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL), to play a basketball game in the seminary gym. The boys got to have a taste of life at the seminary, see the campus and experience playing in the gym. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Set Apart to Serve (SAS) church work recruitment initiative provided complimentary SAS water bottles. After the game, the Rev. Dr. Thomas J. Egger, CSL president, and the Rev. Micah Glenn, CSL director of recruitment, hosted the boys in the fieldhouse for a pizza party and talked to them about the path to becoming a pastor. To close the evening, the boys got to root for the Preachers (the CSL basketball team) in their game.

One church

Registration is open for the 2024 Multiethnic Symposium, “We Believe in One Holy Catholic Church: Reclaiming Our Catholicity Through the Multiethnic Church,” set for April 30–May 1 on the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL). Plenaries will delve into what it means to be one holy, catholic church in the 21st century. The 18th Annual Lecture in Hispanic/Latino Theology and Mission, which is free and open to the public, also will be held during the symposium. Registration closes April 14. The fee to attend is $80 (meals included), with CSL students and faculty invited to attend at no charge. For more information, or to register, visit csl.edu/multiethnic or contact Continuing Education at 314-505-7286 or ce@csl.edu.

New faculty member

The Rev. Dr. Samuli Siikavirta of Helsinki, Finland, has accepted a call to join the faculty of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), as an assistant professor of exegetical theology. Siikavirta holds a Ph.D. in New Testament exegetics (2015), a Master of Arts (2012), a Master of Philosophy in Theology and Religious Studies (2010), and a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Religious Studies (2008) from the University of Cambridge, England.

Siikavirta has published several articles in theology journals and given lectures and presentations at a variety of conferences and meetings in the U.S. and Europe. His teaching experience includes serving as a visiting scholar at CTSFW in 2013 and teaching New Testament Greek at Cambridge colleges and at Westfield House in Cambridge.

“Dr. Siikavirta’s fine academic credentials as a young New Testament scholar, his 10 years of faithful pastoral experience … and his international perspective will be a great blessing to our seminary and the LCMS,” said CTSFW Provost Rev. Dr. Charles Gieschen.

Posted March 8, 2024